Governance, Policy and Guidance

The South Sudan Humanitarian Fund falls under the overall authority of the Humanitarian Coordinator, supported by the SSHF Advisory Board and the SSHF Technical Secretariat. The Advisory Board is comprised of senior-level representatives of donors, UN organisations, NGOs, OCHA and UNDP. The joint OCHA-UNDP Technical Secretariat, led by OCHA, provides support and advice to the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Advisory Board, and facilitates processes throughout the Fund cycle of allocation, disbursement, monitoring, reporting and project closures. The Inter-Cluster Working Group and the Cluster Coordinators / Co-coordinators play a key role in developing allocation strategies, agreeing on collective priorities, reviewing and recommending project proposals for funding, and reviewing progress towards expected outcomes.

The UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office in New York serves as the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent receives contributions from donors, disburses funds upon decision of the Humanitarian Coordinator to the respective Participating UN Organisations, and provides related financial reports and statements. Participating UN Organisations assume full financial and programmatic accountability for the funds disbursed to them, use the funds to undertake approved projects, and provide related narrative and financial reports.

The UNDP Country Office in South Sudan serves as the Managing Agent to channel funds to NGO partners. Funds for NGO projects are first disbursed by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office to the UNDP Country Office in South Sudan, for subsequent disbursement to NGOs.

Operational Manual

The SSHF Operational Manual defines the country-specific parameters for the governance and operations of the SSHF. It is designed within the framework provided by OCHA’s global Operational Handbook for Country-Based Pooled Funds, which outlines the rules, requirements and guidelines that apply to all Country-Based Pooled Funds worldwide, and adapts aspects of these to the country specific context.

The Operational Manual sets out the objectives of the SSHF; describes governance and management arrangements; allocation modalities; project selection criteria; and the accountability framework including risk management, capacity and performance assessment, monitoring and reporting, audit and evaluation, feedback and complaints mechanisms, and non-compliance measures.